Kentucky football season ticket sales down 14 percent from last year

With two weeks to go before the season opener against Southern Mississippi, Kentucky ticket sales are down about 14 percent from last season.

A UK official said the school has sold 33,217 season tickets, down a little more than 5,000 tickets from the 38,658 sold for the 2015 season. Kentucky has sold about 1,000 season tickets since early July.

Not included in those figures is student ticket sales, which were at 4,033 as of Thursday night. That number also is down from the 5,009 sold last season in the first season at revamped Commonwealth Stadium.

Many students purchase their student tickets after getting back on campus for the fall semester, so that number is expected to eventually be on par with last season’s figure, said Guy Ramsey, UK’s director of strategic communications. Ramsey also said that 45,300 tickets are out for the season opener on Sept. 3.

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UK also has 2,043 comped tickets out, which brings the current total of tickets to 39,293.

In 2014, UK had sold 38,024 by early July. In the final season under Joker Phillips, Kentucky sold 38,655 season tickets in all.

Kentucky is trying to make ticket packages more attractive to fans, including adding new options like the “pocket pass,” which provides mobile tickets (in different places around the stadium) to all seven home games for $175.

There also is a new $210 season ticket for the north upper level of the stadium and several mini-pack ticket options. Single-game tickets for all seven home games went on sale to the general public on July 19.

▪ Finishing touches are being added to the party chalets that will make up The 1865 Club situated on the front lawn of Commonwealth Stadium.

Each climate-controlled unit has a kitchen, a full-sized refrigerator, a bathroom and four televisions with room for 30 fans.

There are standard menu options and catered options available. The party chalets can be rented by the game at $5,000 apiece or for the season for $30,000. UK dropped the price in late July. Previously, the chalets rented for between $6,000 and $8,000 a game and $50,000 for the season.

So far one of the fancy tailgating venues has been sold for the season, a UK official confirmed, and 10 single-game rentals have been booked.